SPRINGFIELD, Mo. –The Drury Panthers were unable to split their Highway 13 Catfight season series with the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist on Tuesday night, losing to the visitors 81-46 at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
Less than a week after dropping a 75-63 decision to Southwest Baptist last Thursday, the Panthers fell behind early and were never able to slow down the Bearcats in Tuesday's rematch.
 
Southwest Baptist (10-2, 10-2 GLVC) used long-range shooting to break the game open in the first half of play, hitting on 10 of 13 three-point attempts and hitting on 67 percent of their shots from the field to easily take control of the Great Lakes Valley Conference showdown.
 
The Panthers (5-5, 5-5 GLVC) led early at 9-8, but a string of scoring runs by the Bearcats, fueled by their three-point shooting, saw them streak to a 51-24 lead at intermission.
 
"They're just a really hard-nosed ballclub," said Drury head coach Steve Hesser.  "They do a great job of setting screens, reading screens, and showing physical screens. And they're very, very patient…they make you guard them."
 
Southwest Baptist continued to pull away in the second half, moving in front by as many as 41 points and holding the Panthers to a season-low 46.
 
The Bearcats, who hit on 15 of 26 three-point attempts on the evening, were paced in scoring by Quinn Nelson with 17 points. 
 
Drury had just one player in double-figures and was led by junior Victor Nwagbarachoa, who closed with 10.
 
"You just can't come in here half-cocked and expect to have any success," said Hesser.  "We got off to a good start but were just unable to finish at the basket."
 
Southwest Baptist won the rebounding battle as well, grabbing 34 to 26 for Drury.
 
The Panthers are back in action on Thursday when they visit Missouri S&T in a scheduled 7:30 pm contest against the host Miners.
 
 
#MoreThanChampions